Geoff Mulligan, the mastermind behind the killer app I wrote about a couple of days ago, saw my post and sent me some information that makes Hz even easier to use:

Thanks, Geoff - great stuff!

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I just realized I haven't shared one of my most indispensable "killer apps" with you. It's "Hz@hz.com" and it so flippin' awesome.

Hz is a free service (how it remains free or un-acquired is one of the 7 wonders of the world, if you ask me). It has many capabilities, but I really only use one of them. As you may know, I travel a lot and experience the dark underbelly of the travel lifestyle: flight delays, cancellations, missed flights, and re-routing. I also frequently end up in situations where I want to know if there is an earlier flight I can take to get me home sooner.

Hz is my hero. If, for example, I want to know what the next flights are from London's Heathrow to Portland, Oregon I simply send an email from my PDA to "hz@hz.com" with the subject line "nextflight lhr:pdx" -- a minute or so later, I'll get a return email with a list of all of the flights between Heathrow and Portland, sorted by the number of stops first, then the departure time. Way cool.

Here's how this helps:

• Last weekend, I was in London, trying to get back to Portland. I was going to take a flight to Frankfurt, then connect on a direct flight to Portland. However, the flight to Frankfurt was cancelled due to mechanical problems.
• After an hour's delay, they reunited me with my luggage and directed me to "the guy" at the ticket counter for re-routing.
• At the ticket counter, "the guy" wanted to re-route me through Seattle arriving in Portland at 9:something in the evening. I sent my email to Hz@hz.com.
  • Me: "Hey - what about United flight 929? It'll get me there at 5:25pm..."
  • The guy: "I don't see that."
  • Me: "Can you see if you can look it up?"
  • The guy: "Oh - there it is. I can get you on it. It connects through Chicago."

Thanks, killer app - I'm home 3 hours earlier and manage to make it to Girl Scout night at a Blazers game with my daughter at 6pm!

That's one example - and I was able to quickly retrieve better flight options for a couple of people next to me - one who was also going to Portland, and another to Caracas, Venezeuela.

Hz also has a number of other functions. For example:

• Finding the nearest...
  • Wal-Mart based on your ZIP code
  • Starbucks based on your ZIP code
  • Post office
  • ATM for your bank
• Tracking packages for UPS, DHL, FedEx, and others
• Finding area codes
• Finding weather reports for a city
• Stock information
• Definitions
• Gas prices in your ZIP code
• Much, much more!

To get a full list of the commands, send an email to hz@hz.com with the subject "commands" and you'll get an email back with all the amazing stuff it can tell you. (or, check out the web site at www.hz.com)

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I've been in the UK this week, and I'm trying a new approach to save money on phone calls during my travels. I recently purchased a Skype-certified USB handset called the "Free-1" from IPEVO, and decided to try Skype instead of my usual (costly) method of making calls back home using my mobile phone or my calling card. It comes in black and white color choices, and I chose black so it doesn't end up looking as scuffed from being tossed into my laptop bag.

I'm quite pleased with the results. The IPEVO handset is very small and easy to pack in my laptop bag, and it's a snap to use (plug it into your USB port, tell Skype to use it as its default audio device, and you're done). Once it's connected, it operates much like a normal phone, and integrates directly with the functionality of Skype, making it easy to browse your address book and dial calls manually.

For the calls back home, I didn't want to be constrained by only being able to communicate with other people using Skype, so I purchased 10 Euros worth of "SkypeOut" minutes (about $12.50 US). This allows me to call phone numbers anywhere in the world for about 2 cents per minute using any broadband connection. When I purchased my credits, I paid by PayPal and received a special block of 120 bonus minutes (eBay owns both Skype and PayPal), giving me about 8 hours of calling time for that same $12.50 - what a deal!

SkypeOut, coupled with the IPEVO handset, makes the experience a simple one - I simply press the "OUT" button on the handset (a green plus sign), then dial the number I want to call. I then press the green handset button to make the call and my call is dialed. When the call is complete, I press the red handset button to end the call. Skype keeps a running tab of my remaining SkypeOut credits so I don't have to guess.

Oh - and the call quality? It is excellent. My wife and some of my colleagues couldn't tell any difference between these calls and the calls I used to make via "normal" phone lines (in fact they found them to be clearer than calls made from my mobile phone).

While my interest in this began with a travel-centric view, I will likely end up buying another SkypeOut handset for my home and begin using it for international calling from home, as well.

By the way - IPEVO has recently released a handset driver for the Mac, so it's now certified for both Mac and Windows systems.

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